Paper tray.



No. 816,302. PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906. F. B. DAVIDSON. PAPER TRAY.

APPLIOATIOR IILED AUG. 22, 1904.

' a z snnMs-snni' 1. l 7 v v I PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

F. B. DAVIDSON. PAPER TRAY. APPIJIOATION rmm 11116.22. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UN ITED STATES ATENT orrron.

FRANK B. DAVIDSON, OF MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HOWE ANDDAVIDSON COMPANY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A (JOB- PORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

PAPER TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 27, 1906.

This invention relates to improvements in trays or like receptacles madeof paper or other flexible material and provided with a flat bottomandarim surroundingsaidbottom,the invention relating more particularlyto that class of such trays in which the bottom and surrounding rim aremade or constructed of a single fiat sheet or blank.

The invention includes the blank from which such trays are made, as wellas the tray itself.

The tray herein illustrated is especially applicable for use in packingcandies and like merchandise in pails, and when used in this manner thetrays are filled and placed in a candy-pail one over the other, saidtrays thus serving as horizontal separators or partitions by which thelayers of candy in the pail are separately supported. Trays having thesame features of construction hereinafter described may, however, beused for other purposes.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a cutand scored blank from which a preferred form of my improved tray ismade. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the finished tray made from theblank shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken throughthe tray-bottom and showing a part of the inner face of the rimillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a detail cross-section taken online 4 4 of Fig. 3.

As shown in said drawings, A, Fig. 1, designates a blank in flat formfrom which my improved tray is made. The blank is provided on its marginwith a plurality of sets of marginal flaps which are symmetricallyarranged and uniformly disposed about the margins of the blank, theparticular blank illustrated having four of such sets of flaps.

It is to be understood, however, that more or less than four sets may beemployed, if desired. Each set of flaps consists of'five fiaps'namely, acenter flap A, two intermediate flaps A A at either side of the centerflap A, and two external flaps A A said flaps A A also coacting with andserving as the external flaps of adjacent like sets of flaps. The saidflaps A, A and A are separated from the central or body part of theblank which constitutes the bottom of the finished box by means ofstraight score-lines a, 0. and a arranged at right angles to radiallines of the blank. Said score-lines are made of equal length and arearranged at equal dis tances radially from the center of the blank. Theseveral flaps are adapted to be folded upwardly at right angles to thebody of the blank along said score-lines to constitute the rim of thetray. Said score-lines being of equal length and arranged atuniformdistances from the center of the blank, it follows that when theflaps are so folded upwardly along said score-lines the bottom of thetray will be substantially circular.

The flaps A are provided with straight lateral extensions A*, which whenthe blank is fiat stand in line with each other and project tangentiallyfrom the margins of the blank outside of the flaps A A. Saidintermediate fiaps A A are separated from the extensions A of the flapsA by lines of severance extending from the ends of the scorelines a? ina direction generally parallel with the outer margins of the said flapsA The said intermediate flaps A are separated from the main or centralflap A of the set by cuts or lines of severance which extend outwardfrom the meeting ends of the score-lines a and a and which are shown asradially disposed, although they need not necessarily be radial. Saidcentral flap A 1s, moreover, made longer at its central part than theother flaps or extends a greater distance radially from the center ofthe blank, so as to form extensions or tabs c*, which are preferablyseparated from the body of the flap by a transverse score-line 0arranged parallel with the score-line a and located at a distance fromsaid score-line 0/ equal to the width of the rim.

The central flaps A are provided with locking-tongues A formed by twoslits or lines of severance a, a, extending lengthwise of the said flapand extending from points adjacent to or slightly above the score-line ainwardly to points adjacent to or a short distance inside of thescore-line a and by a third slit or line of severance M, which joins theends of the slits a a". The tongue A is thus joined at its base to theflap A at a distance from the score-line a practically equal to thedepth of the flaps A A or the height of the rim to be formed, while itslower end reaches slightly beyond the score-line a.

hen a tray is to be set up or formed from the blank, cut and scored inthe manner shown in Fig. 1, the intermediate sections A A are bentupwardly at right angles to the bottom along the score-lines a a Thecentral flap A is then bent upwardly along the scoreline a, and theflaps A A are then bent upwardly along the score-lines (L3 (L and theirextensions A A are brought outside of the flaps A A and inside of theflaps A, with their ends in overlapping relation and beneath. the tongueA which overlaps the said meeting ends of the said extensions. Ashereinbefore stated, the said tongue A is made of such length that itslower end extends inwardly past the score-line a, and the result of thisconstruction is that when the central flap carrying said tongue is bentor folded upwardly at right angles with the bottom of the tray the lowerend of the tongue will extend slightly beyond or below the said bottom,and after the parts have been folded as described and the extensions A Aplaced beneath said tongue A the lower end of the latter will beinserted into the lower end of the opening formed by the slits a and (1so as to bear against the edge of the bottom formed by said slit (L7, asclearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

It will be manifest from the above that when the flaps are foldedupwardly and interlocked in the manner described a complete rim isformed on the bottom, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and that the ends of theextensions A A will be confined against the central flaps A by thetongue A the lower end of which will be confined or held by itsengagement with the bottom of the tray. All of the flaps will thus beheld in a position at right angles to the bottom.

The meeting ends of the extensions A and A may be provided with lookingnotches or slits a a", by which said extensions may be locked togetherand the parts constituting the rim thereby held or locked more firmly toresist outward pressure tending to spread apart the flaps.

The tabs a when the central flaps are folded upwardly extend above theupper edges of the extensions A A of the flaps A and constitutelifting-handles by which the tray may be lifted from its place in thepail or inserted therein, as clearly seen in the perspective view, Fig.2. The scorelines 0. enable said tabs to be folded inwardly, so thatwhen the tray is placed in a pail the said tabs will not interfere withthe placing of another tray in superposed relation thereto. The presenceof the infolded tabs prevents a superposed tray from entering the top ofa tray beneath it, or, in other words, said tabs when folded inwardlyconstitute supports for a superposed tray, preventing the latter fromcrushing the contents of the tray on which it rests.

When the blank, as shown in Fig. 1, is provided with four sets of flaps,its exterior lines conform practically to a square figure, so that theblank may be cut from sheets of rectangular form with very little waste.

I claim as my invention- 1. A tray made of a single piece of sheetmaterial, comprising a flat bottom and a plurality of sets of marginalflaps, each set embracing a central flap and exterior flaps providedwith lateral straight extensions which overlap said central flap, saidcentral flap be ing extended above the upper margins of the saidextensions and provided with a tongue which is cut from the said centralflap and is joined at its base to the upper part of said central flap,and which extends over the meeting edges of the said extensions and atits lower end is engaged with the blank below the lower edges of theextensions.

2. A tray made of a single piece of sheet material,comprising a flatbottom and a plurality of sets of marginal flaps, each set embracing acentral flap and exterior flaps provided with lateral straightextensions which overlap said central flap said central flap beingprovided with a U-shaped slit, the central part of which extends intothe bottom and which forms a tongue which is .joined at its base to theupper part of the said central flaps and extends downwardly over themeeting ends of said extensions and at its inner end is engaged with thebottom of the tray at the said central part of the U-shaped slit.

3. A tray made of a single piece of sheet material, comprising a flatbottom and a plurality of sets of marginal flaps, each set embracing acentral flap, two intermediate flaps and two exterior flaps which arefolded up wardly from the bottom on lines of fold having angularrelation to each other, the two exterior flaps having lateral straightextensions which are folded outside of the intermediate fiaps with theirends inside of the central flap, said central flap having a downwardly-directed tongue which is out therefrom and extends downwardlyfrom the outer part of the said central flap over the ends of saidextensions.

4. A blank for a tray rality of sets of margina flaps which areseparated from the central part or body of the blank by means ofscore-lines arranged at equal distances from the center of said blankand at right angles to the radial lines thereof,

rovided with a plueach set of flaps embracing a central flap and twoexterior flaps having straight extensions which extend along the outermargin of the central flap, said central flap being provided with aU-shaped slit forming a tongue which is longer than the width of saidstraight extensions on the exterior flaps and which extends from theouter end of said central flap toward the base of the same.

5. A blank for a tray provided with a plurality of sets of marginalflaps which are separated from the central part or body of the blank byscore-lines arranged at equal distances from the center of the blank andat right angles to the radial lines thereof, each set of flaps embracinga central flap, inter mediate flaps at either side thereof, and twoexterior flaps having lateral straight extensions which extend along theouter margins of the intermediate and central flaps, said central flapbeing extended to form a tab and provided with a U shaped slit forming atongue longer than the width of said lateral straight extensions on theexterior flaps and which is joined to the outer part of said centralflap and extends toward the base of the same.

6. A blank for a tray provided with a plurality of sets of marginalflaps which are separated from the central part of the blank byscore-lines arranged at equal distances from the center of the blank andat right angles to radial lines of the blank, each set of flapsembracing a central flap, and two exterior flaps provided with lateral,straight extensions, said center flap being provided with a U- shapedslit the central part of which extends inside of the score-line at thebase of said central flap and which forms a tongue which is attached tothe outer end of the flap and the end of which extends inside of thesaid score-line at the base of said central flap.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignature, in presence of two witnesses, this 19th day of August A. D.1904.

FRANK B. DAVIDSON.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS M. IRELAND, MINA MAssEY.

